I know I know, I should be writing my essay thats due in 16 hours, but I HAD to share this with you.

These lyrics are brilliant. Absolute genius.

The U.S. is on the brink of disaster with this financial mess, I'm terrified that John McCain is going to win this election and drag this war out even longer, Global warming is becoming very very real, and Janet Jackson is walking around wearing this:

What is this world coming to?

I went to introduce myself to my English 101 teacher today and asked him to sign a paper for me. He smiled and happily signed the paper. He then asked me if English was my second language.

Nice.

As you may recall I planned to enter the Film and Video Communications program at Seattle Central Community College. I've been talking about it for months. However the program is in extremely high demand and I was put on a waiting list. My adviser told me that chances were close to impossible that I would get in. I was so bummed out. I was really ready to start taking steps towards a career in the media. The program is fall entry only so I would have had to wait an entire year before I could enroll. Regardless I signed myself up for some classes in music, drama, and Spanish. Even though I wasn't in the program I wanted, when I attended my first day of college today I had a great day. I was feeling like things were looking alright.

I bought all my books for my Spanish literature course, came home and was ready to start reading when I got a call from the Film and Video Communications department announcing that a spot for me had opened up! So that's that! I'm in! I start tomorrow! I'm thrilled! *Two enthusiastic thumbs up!*

I'm very excited to begin my new future!

Alright I'm not going to lie, I totally procrastinated on this one because theres so much to talk about. And with all this sunshine going on lately in Seattle I had to take full advantage of it. In fact last weekend instead of writing about my Spain trip, I went with a few friends to Snoqualmie river with some bottles of water, a bag of sunflower seeds, and 2 rafts. However what was intended to be a graceful float down the river in the sunshine, soon ended in a chaotic explosion of one of the rafts, all of our things floating down the river, and having to ride the whole way down with four people squished in a little raft. It was straight out of a Lost episode. That's what I get for procrastinating I suppose.

Anyway, on to Spain! *sigh* Spain. What a magical place. From the moment I arrived I was in love. We got there early in the morning, although my body was severely jetlagged due to the 8 hour time difference from home, the excitement of the new place kept me going. The streets of Barcelona were like a ghost town that early. I learned that things tend to open later in Spain. The first thing that caught my eye was the architecture. Incredible! All of the buildings have so much history and character. I rode the whole way in the cab with an enormous stupid grin on my face. I was really excited to be there.

When we arrived at the hotel, the receptionist told us that check-in wasn't for at least another three hours but that we could feel free to venture out while our things were stored behind his desk. My boyfriend and I stepped out for a moment to chat about what move to make next, when a scraggly looking man came up to us and began to ask for directions. I had a feeling he was trying to pickpocket us, so we avoided him. In the meantime while we were feeling so smart, his buddy was inside stealing our laptop bag which we had placed temporarily on top of our luggage while we chatted. The laptop bag had our return tickets, passports, and of course my boyfriends laptop. We must have noticed only moments after he had stolen the bag. So basically what I'm trying to say here folks, is that we had been in Spain for less than a total of 30 minutes and managed to get robbed. My boyfriend and I stared at each other dumbfounded. We tried to remain positive as we spent the remainder of the afternoon at the police office filing a report. We couldn't go to the U.S. consulate to replace our passports until Monday since they're closed on the weekends. The problem was that we were scheduled to fly out to Ibiza the next morning. We called the Spanish airline and asked if it would be ok to travel within Spain with only a state issued ID. They assured us that it would be fine. We figured we would replace our passports once we were back in Barcelona in the next few days before moving on to Valencia. Things seemed to be getting better.

We spent the rest of the evening with a friend who lives in Barcelona by going to a delicious Italian dinner and later to a very cool bar, and on to a dance club. The nightlife there is unreal. Everyone goes out! Even little grannies are cruising the town plaza at 2am!

The next morning we woke up bright and early to head to the airport for our flight. We were so pumped that soon we would arrive on the white sanded shores of Ibiza, the party capitol of the world, one of the top vacation spots ever. When we walked up to the ticket counter however, they told us that it was absolutely impossible to board the plane without our passports. Not only would we have to wait another day, but we would have to buy our plane tickets again. Depressed, and pissed off we dragged all our luggage on to a bus and returned to the hotel. Again, we tried to keep our chins up and appreciate that despite all of the things going wrong, we were in a beautiful country and things could have been worse. At least we still had money, and most importantly at least we were safe.

Finally we made it to Ibiza after being issued temporary passports at the Consulate. All at once all of the stress we had gone through back in Barcelona was worth it. The people, the food, the scenery, the weather, the music, everything. Absolutely incredible. Ibiza is a magical destination. The pace of life there is the epitome of paradise. We spent our days waking up around 2, heading to the beach where we would enjoy the sunshine and crystal clear water until about 6, we ate dinner by 9 or 10, took a disco nap, then had drinks and wandered around until it was time to head to the club by 1 or 2am. The most amazing thing about Ibiza was the fact that people within the clubs were genuinely there for the music and the experience, not to pick up on people. I would find myself often times enjoying a beautiful moment of music and look over at a complete stranger. We would lock eyes and smile acknowledging that it was a special moment. Surprisingly enough we met only one other American during our trip. The majority of the people in Ibiza are European travelers, so the vibe was quite different. In a great sort of way. ;)

After a week had passed of relaxing by day and dancing our pants off by night, we returned to Barcelona. We made a decision early on that we wanted to keep the last part of our trip open-ended. So, we brainstormed about what to do next. Should we go to Valencia? Sevilla? Perhaps Granada? All these places sounded wonderful, yet we couldn't help but find ourselves pining for Ibiza. Several of our friends were still there, and we'd get frequent texts about what an amazing time they were still having. Despite missing Ibiza, we decided to take full advantage of Barcelona for a few days by doing everything from wandering through the entertaining street performers of Las Ramblas to losing ourselves in Gaudi's beautiful Parque Guell. We saw lots of beautiful things in Barcelona, and enjoyed some of the best food I've ever tasted. It is an amazing city full of all sorts of interesting people and places. Finally we decided that although other cities in Spain sounded appealing to visit as well, we really really missed Ibiza. So, long story short, we boarded the plane and jetted back to Ibiza where we did another week of life in paradise. I was able to meet several of my favorite DJ's this time around and got to experience a few more clubs. I explored the town a bit more and made friends with some locals who we continue to keep in touch with. The second trip was even better than the first!

Our last morning in Ibiza we were so busy frolicking and having fun around the town that we completely lost track of time only to realize an hour late that we had passed check out time. We ran back to our hotel where our frantic receptionist had been searching for us all morning. Unfortunately there was a family scheduled to check-in to our room that morning so due to our absence, the maids had packed all of our things into various garbage bags and shoved them behind the reception desk, which made for a super fun game of "Which garbage bag has my credit card?"

Finally the time came to say goodbye to Ibiza. We soaked in our final moments by eating a delicious paella dinner and enjoying a carafe of sangria. We said goodbye to our friends and made our way to the airport. We were happy and euphoric all the way back to Barcelona. When we landed in Barcelona however, our little happy euphoric bubbles popped when we learned that those original paper tickets that were stolen were not so easily replaceable. We thought it would only be a matter of pulling our names or looking up our credit card information. WRONG! 3 hours and 400 euro later we found ourselves having to book a hotel in Barcelona for the night since we wouldn't be able to catch our new assigned flight until the next morning. Luckily there was internet access at the airport and we were able to book a hotel. So far so good. Unfortunately we arrived at the hotel to have them tell us that check-in wasn't until 1pm. I would like to note that it was about 8am and we had hardly slept the night before. Overwhelmed, frustrated, and downright exhausted, we crashed on the hotel lobby's couch for the next 5 hours. I'm sure we drooled, snored and the whole nine yards, but quite frankly we didn't care. We were drained.

After a hot shower and a meal we were feeling better. Although our spirits were a bit low, we remained thankful for all of the good parts of the trip.

Finally we made it home. What an adventure! I've felt as if I've been glowing since I've gotten back. Spain is an incredible place. People are vibrant, the weather is warm, and the culture is amazing. I feel like a part of me has woken up again. Travel is an incredible thing. And what excites me most, is that there's still an entire world left of things to discover!

That's right! Back from Spain after 2 wonderful weeks there. Due to severe jetlag, massive piles of laundry, and working 3 jobs trying to make back some of those dollars I spent, I haven't been able to sit down and write about my adventures quite yet. But believe you me, there are definitely some tales to be told! What an amazing place!

That said, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm back and didn't get kidnapped and dragged to Morocco. Stay tuned for the details!!

After nearly a year of preparation and saving, we are off to Spain! My dear Seattlelites I leave you for a brief time. I'm on the waiting list for the video and film communications technical program I hope to get into in the fall, so keep your fingers crossed that a spot opens up by the time I get back from the trip!!

Stay tuned for lots of tales of paella, flamenco, and sunny beaches....

Adios for now!

The following image is a poster for the latest film that comedian Dane Cook and Kate Hudson star in. Following the image is Dane Cook's opinion of the movie poster. Every observation he makes about it makes me roar with laughter as I scroll up at the image and see how painfully right he is.

"Here are a few things that truly blow about my upcoming movie poster to promote the release of the film opening on September 19th:

1. Graphics:
Whoever photoshopped our poster must have done so at taser point with
3 minutes to fulfill their hostage takers deranged obligations. They should have called Donnie Hoyle and had him give a tutorial using "You Suck at Photoshop" templates. This is so glossy it makes Entertainment Weekly look wooden.

2. My head:
The left side of my face seems to be melting off of my skull. I guess I am looking directly into the Ark of the Covenant? Are they going for the bells palsy thing here? My left side looks like Brittany Spears' vagina.

3. The Stare.
My character apparently has fallen in love with a strand of Kate Hudsons hair. Kate's mannequin is desperately in love with the inside of my right ear while Jason is half stunned, half corsage.

4. Lips:
It looks like I'm wearing Maybelline Water Shine Diamonds Liquid Lipstick. My characters name is now Winter Solstice and I'm a hooker with a heart of gold. Jason is my floral carrying pimp, while Kate is my first trick!

5. Fashion:
My character is sporting a very high collar I mean damn they should be snow capped at that altitude. It's going for the vampire lurking in the castle basement vibe. An Olympic pole vaulter would have a tough go clearing that collar. I'm also able to turn my head comfortably 180 degrees, because I was raised in an abandoned barn by a family of owls.

6. Flesh:
It's no secret that I'm more rugged facially due to a drunken visit by the teen acne fairy, but according to this poster I've got perfect porcelain flesh. I look like the f**kin' bathroom floor at Caesars Palace. One of Marie Osmond's dolls would look at me and say "sh*t … that guys got flawless skin!"

7. Hair:
It's actually a close up shot of Tom Sellecks Magnum P.I. mustache they photo-slapped on my noggin'.

8. The set:
Pick one. This entire film takes place:

A. on Gattaca
B. at the Fortress of Solitude
C. inside a crystal wind chime

9. The cast:
Alec Baldwin is so f**king funny in this movie! Is he on the poster? I think so. He plays the wise talking plant Jason is clutching.

10. Final thoughts:
I set out to make a movie like the contemporary men and women, that you and I respect, are making. My generation of comedians, actors, directors and producers that I wish to collaborate with as I build a solid body of work.

Granted, one poster stinking up the joint isn't the end of the world. Yet it sends the wrong message about our movie and I just wanted you to know, that I feel the pain. I really love the film and I know from past missteps marketing wise that the wrong poster sends the wrong audience into the theater."

To my surprise, my last blog post concerning who I like to call the "Sassy spanish speakin' taco makin' senoritas" created quite the stir amongst readers. A lot of people felt that although yes, it was funny, I should have most definitely spoken my mind. My friend Susane felt that way in particular. Susane is a Portugeuse/beer drinkin'/piano jammin'/badass lady who I've been friends with for over 11 years. Susane sent me an email about a similar experience she had and I must say, she certainly inspired me. I thought some of you may find her story inspiring too if you ever struggle with confrontation like me.

"ok, so i was at la perla tapatia a few years ago. actually many years ago, i was maybe 17 or 18... maybe 19. it was when i was trying to start speaking spanish at taquerias for the whole "respect of other people's cultures", right? the problem was that i wasn't very fluid and had to think a little, to try and not mix up portuguese with the spanish. it was embarrassing but s**t, at least i was trying. (I'm better now, but not the best). anyway, as the ladies are making my burritos, they were making so much fun of me for trying to speak spanish (and looking at me politely while doing it), calling me "gringa this" and "gringa that", i don't remember exactly but i totally hurt my feelings. little did they know that although my spanish at the time was broken, i could understand every single word they said, thanks to being portuguese and thanks to watching hallsa telenovelas with my mom as a kid. i was irate. so, in english, i told them i understood everything they were saying because i speak portuguese and that i was disappointed to see this sort of behavior. then, to make sure they knew i was serious, i translated what they said in english. their jaws dropped to the floor. i asked to speak to their supervisor and told him exactly what i thought about those "sassy senoritas". all he could really do was give me my burritos for free and bit** them out in front of me. that probably made them hate me more but hopefully made them think twice about talking s**t in front someone."

Susane singing in the streets

You rock Susane. Thanks for reminding me that it's ok to be you, and to stand your ground confidently.

Today I went to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants to get some fish tacos to go. There were two Mexican women running the restaurant at the time, neither of which spoke English very well. I speak pretty proficient Spanish because of the four years I lived in Mexico. However I don't normally like to switch to Spanish during a conversation with someone who is attempting to speak English, because I fear it may come across as condescending. Like, "Wow, your English is just not cutting it buddy. Allow me."

I used to always get frustrated when I would try to speak Spanish with a local, and they would respond in English so that I would understand. So, out of courtesy, I continued speaking English to the woman at the restaurant today even though we were having a bit of a communication issue. Once we established how many tacos I wanted and that I wanted the hottest salsa, the woman ringing me up said in Spanish to the other woman, "She isn't going to be able to handle this salsa." They both laughed. The other one replied, "Yea, she'll be suffering for like half an hour."

How rude! I couldn't believe my ears! The funny part was, the entire time they were talking crap about me, they were smiling at me innocently.

Instead of saying something terribly witty and coy in Spanish back at them, I bit my lip and smiled sweetly back at them. I huffed and puffed out of there. Of course by the time I reached the car I had come up with the perfect speech I should have delivered back at them. Doesn't it always seem to work that way? I never think of the right thing to say until the right time to say it has passed. So after much thought, I've decided that if I could step into a time machine, this is the speech I should have delivered:

(Hair blowing back in the wind, and a coy smile spread across my face. Mariachi music should be playing in background)

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Well I've got news for you, senoritas. Laugh it up. Oh what? You thought I couldn't understand you did you? Surprise! Just cause I'm a blonde whitey doesn't mean this little gringa can't out-spice you any day. Dejense venir! The spicier the better. Mm hm. That's right. I'm gonna bring these fish tacos home and I'm gonna LATHER them in your little "special salsa." I'm gonna pour it all over my tacos and then I'm gonna lick all ten fingers afterwards. In fact can I get some more salsa to go? Because I'm gonna take a BATH in it. Sometimes I like to pour kerosene all over my tongue and ignite it, I like things so spicy. Whoa! Scared now? Still feelin' tough? Thought I couldn't handle it could you? Guess what muchachas, I've had strawberry daquiris that are spicier than your weak little salsa. ADIOS."

Yea, I totally should have said that.

My boyfriend is a bit of a mad scientist. If he's not banging on his keyboard in his music studio or enthusiastically pacing back and forth reading a music theory book with a head full of frizzed hair, he's at work where he is just as frantically passionate about technology. Although he's a bit all over the place, I find it endearing. Painfully cute really.

This morning he woke up and started mumbling under his breath about how much work he had to do. He asked if I could drop him off at work so he wouldn't have to pay for parking. So, I put my shoes on and set for the door. He became irritated as he couldn't find his iPod headphones. He insisted that he had left them on the table and that I had moved them. I responded, "Actually that's not true, and when you find them in some random place you're going to owe me an apology." This led to a playful string of "fine!" "fine then!" Before we had reached the elevator he gasped and grabbed his pockets searching for something. Then his body relaxed and he said, "Oh nevermind." I'm assuming he was afraid he had lost his new iPhone.

We finally made it down to the parking garage only to see that our car WASN'T THERE. We looked at each other dumbfounded for a minute.

"Wheres the car?" he asked. "I don't know, wheres the car?" I replied. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the keys.

"Oh my God. I forgot the car at work yesterday." he said in a meek voice.

How does someone lose their car?! Absolutely ridiculous. It made my day.

I just saw this photograph of the new Miss Universe and couldn't help but crack a smile. She is undoubtedly a gorgeous woman and props to Venezuela, but on another note I don't think they could have snapped a less attractive photo of her. This photo makes her look like she's just had a lobotomy.

Yes, that's it. She's suffered brain damage and she's pointing at the large screen above that's announcing she's the winner. "Me win! See it friends?!"

I went to a barbeque on a friend's houseboat on Saturday. It was a beautiful day. I saw a friend at the barbeque who had recently been going through a tough time but looked like he was improving. We had a beer as we chatted a bit about his upcoming DJing gigs, and how much I liked that he was wearing a purple shirt. I told him I thought more guys should wear pastels. I told him that if I were a guy I would dress exactly like him. His face lit up for a moment and in the most genuine tone asked, "Really?"

After enjoying a few hours of sunshine, music and food, we said goodbye to everyone and I made a point of hugging him goodbye. I noticed his hands were clammy.

On Sunday morning I was in the bathroom doing what people do when they're in the bathroom when I heard the pitter patter of my boyfriend's feet down the hall. Miguel banged his fists on the door and I heard the words "Carl has killed himself!"

Time stopped.

My initial reaction was anger. "I'm in the bathroom! Just a minute!!" My heart started pounding. I finished up and walked into the living room where Janis Joplin was blaring. "Turn off the music! TURN OFF THE MUSIC!!!" I yelled running my fingers through my hair desperately. Miguel was on the phone talking with a mutual friend of Carl's about the details. I paced back and forth asking questions. "How did he do it?" "Where was he?" "How did he get a gun?"

My brain was having trouble wrapping itself around the idea that this person who was very real a few hours ago, didn't exist anymore. I would never see his face again. The idea of "never" was hard to accept. I began to wonder if only I had said something more, if only I had maybe said one word more it could have made a difference. I started to think about the life he had ahead of him. I thought about how close he was to my age. I thought about what he felt when he pulled the trigger. I thought about how sad his family must be. I began to weep. I stared at my squished crying faced in the mirror and felt my heart drop.

I decided to take a shower. As I lathered the shampoo, anger set in. I lathered harder and the anger grew greater. I thought of my mom's death 10 years ago. I thought about how sad it is to say goodbye. I thought about how much I hate death. I thought about my own inevitable death.

When I got out of the shower Miguel and I hugged. We promised each other we'd never take each other for granted. We talked about how you never know when the last time you'll see someone is.

Instead of staying in for the day we decided to get out and distract ourselves. We went on the Ride The Ducks tour around the city and into Lake Union. Every now and then in between quacks I'd remember about Carl and it felt like a punch in the gut.

Today I feel better, but strange. Undergoing a tragedy is like having the flu. There's no trick or quick cure. You just have to go through the feelings until you heal.

Life is not an easy ride. But suicide is never the answer. Carl left behind a lot of people that loved him. I can only hope that he found the peace in the afterlife that he couldn't find here on earth.

Goodbye Carl. I really did like your outfit.